The Decision to Share: From the Joy of Self-Possession to the Joy of Shared Consumption

Adelle Yang, National University of Singapore, Singapore Ann McGill, University of Chicago, USA

Why do people share desserts, which feel good, but not vegetables, which are good? When the resource re-allocation decision is immediately followed by consumption, we find that people are more willing to share affect-rich resources than affect-poor resources with others, holding the monetary value constant.